Farewell Champions League Group Stage
Richard David Pike's Beyond The Big Five Newsletter: Edition 5
25th November 1992, Jan Breydel Stadium, Bruges, Daniel Amokachi, Club Brugge 1-0 CSKA Moscow. Three months after Brian Deane scored the Premier League’s first-ever goal in Sheffield United’s 2-1 win vs Manchester United, Nigerian Amokachi procured the first-ever Champions League group-stage goal. 1992 started football’s modern era with the birth of the Premier League, which became the sport’s wealthiest league and the rebranding of the the old European Cup into the Champions League. If the Premier League’s launch motto was “It’s a Whole New Ball Game”, “Rise of the Starball” proved an apt description for the Champions League’s arrival owing to its new famous rebranded logo.
As the 32nd edition of UEFA’s rebranded premier club competition begins in 2023/24, it will be the last with its famous group stage format. Whether used to determine the two finalists in 1992/93 or the modern format of whittling 32 teams down to 16, every Champions League edition so far has incorporated four-team round-robin groups. The controversial 36 team one league “Swiss-system” famously used in sports such as chess comes in for 2024/25, with the format so many fans have grown used to, set to disappear forever. As the curtain comes down on the Champions League group stages, in true “Beyond The Big Five style, here are just some memorable moments from them produced by teams outside the big five leagues.
Goteborg Giants complete Sweden’s annus mirabilis
For many non-Swede football fans, thoughts on Swedish football instantly turn to the national team, who under English manager George Raynor famously achieved 3rd place in the 1950 FIFA World Cup, going one better with a silver medal on home soil in 1958. Most memorable in the eyes of many, however, was the 1994 FIFA World Cup, when coach Tommy Svensson guided Sweden to a 3rd placed finish. The 1994 team’s starting line-up and used substitutes contained several players aged 25 or under such as Patrik Andersson, Joachim Bjorklund, Jesper Blomqvist and Hendrik Larsson, who would all enjoy good careers overseas.
In 1994/95, IFK Goteborg secured a 2nd group stage participation in the Champions League’s 3rd edition since rebranding where an unkind draw for Blavitt, pitched them against heavyweights Manchester United, FC Barcelona and an emerging Galatasaray. Despite the challenge, IFK’s squad contained 7 members of Sweden’s 22 player 1994 World Cup bronze medal squad including the aforementioned Blomqvist and Bjorklund. Furthermore, IFK were themselves halfway through a two decade club “Golden-Age”. An era that began in 1982 with a treble (Allsvenskan, Svenska Cupen and UEFA Cup) achieved under Sven-Goran Eriksson’s management, only concluding at the end of the 1998 Allsvenskan, with an 8th placed finish, IFK’s lowest in 28 years.
IFK lost 4-2 away on Matchday 1 against Manchester United, nonetheless, rebounded at home on Matchday 2 with a shock 2-1 home victory over Barca, Magnus Erlingmark and an 89th minute winner from Blomqvist cancelling out Hristo Stoichkov’s opener. A double header on Matchdays 3 & 4 versus Galatasaray followed and fittingly two headers from the aforementioned Erlingmark sealed two 1-0 victories for the Swedes. The first, a classic penalty box header after a Erik Wahlstedt cross, the second, a brave near-post header after a Stefan Rehn corner. Blavitt’s cloud nine, however, proved Matchday 5, a 3-1 home win against Manchester United which sealing a Quarter Final berth alongside top spot in the group courtesy of goals from future Red Devils winger Blomqvist, Erlingmark and fullback Pontus Kamark.
IFK’s Quarter Final opponents Bayern Munich were under no illusion that Blavitt were not to be taken lightly. Ironically, IFK’s home 1st leg curtailed their Semi-Final hopes, drawing 2-2 in Gothenburg with a 2nd leg 0-0 draw in Munich seeing Bayern progress on away goals. No Swedish club is likely to repeat IFK’s Champions League heroics in the post-Bosman ruling era, their achievements capping off a superb 1994 for Swedish football. The national team won Sweden’s prestigious Jerring Award in 1994 for the World Cup bronze medal, joining IFK’s 1982 UEFA Cup winners as the only two football team recipients of the award in its history.
Dynamo Dynamite: Lightning nearly strikes thrice for Lobanovskyi
A select few managers, sometimes even just one in particular hold legendary status at clubs owing to longevity, philosophy and success. At Ukrainian heavyweights Dynamo Kyiv, the name Valeriy Lobanovskyi stands tall above all others. His first two spells in charge between 1973 to 1982 & 1984 to 1990 yielded 8 Soviet Higher League titles, 6 Soviet Cups & two UEFA Cup Winners Cups won in 1974 and 1986 respectively.
Returning to NSC Olimpiyskiy for a third spell in January 1997, Lobanovskyi didn’t take long to make an impact once more despite a tough 1997/98 Champions League group draw pitting Bilo-Syni against PSV Eindhoven, FC Barcelona and Newcastle United. Dynamo belied their underdog status surprisingly winning the group with 11 points from 6 games, the highlight being a double over Barca, a 3-0 win in Kyiv followed by a superb 4-0 victory at Camp Nou. Juventus ended the run in the Quarter Finals, yet Dynamo and striker duo Serhiy Rebrov & Andriy Shevchenko (with a combined 11 Champions League goals) had once more made their mark in European club competition.
1997/98, however, proved merely an appetiser for 1998/99. Put into a group with Panathinaikos, Arsenal & Lens, Dynamo’s solitary point from their first 3 group games heightened the pressure in an era where only two group runner-ups progressed. However, the return game against Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal, a 3-1 victory for Dynamo on Matchday 4 in Kyiv ignited their campaign, the highlight being Dynamo’s 3rd goal, a splendid free-kick from Shevchenko on 72 minutes. Buoyed by such a result, Bilo-Syni rattled off back-to-back 2-1 & 3-1 wins against Panathinaikos in Kyiv and Lens away securing a top spot qualification ahead of expected pre-group favourites Arsenal.
Defending Champions Real Madrid lied in wait in the Quarter Final, yet Lobanovskyi’s team held no fear, 55 minutes into the 1st leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, Dynamo sprung a counter-attack where Shevchenko procured a vital away goal. Despite Predrag Mijatovic’s equaliser levelling the score at 1-1, the Ukrainians made home advantage count in the 2nd leg, a 2-0 victory courtesy of a Shevchenko double secured Dynamo’s 1st European semi-final since the 1986/87 European Cup. The semi-final 4-3 aggregate loss against Bayern Munich is arguably the most “if only” moment in Dynamo’s history given they had a 3-1 advantage in the 1st leg in Kyiv. However, late 78th and 89th minute Bayern goals salvaged a 3-3 draw to help the Bavarians reach the final courtesy of a 1-0 win in the 2nd leg in Munich via a Mario Basler strike.
Dynamo point to a chance by Vitaliy Kosovskyi when ahead 3-1 in the 1st leg, his chip shot going narrowly over the crossbar when one-on-one with Bayern keeper Oliver Khan. Had Kosovskyi’s chip been lower a place in the elite European final could have beckoned for this legendary side and lightning could have struck thrice for Lobanovskyi in European club competition. A “what might have been” moment as Dynamo Kyiv 1997-1999 were one of the first great sides from lesser European leagues to be casualties of the post-Bosman era. One by one, Dynamo’s four star players from this era were picked off, Shevchenko & fullback Oleh Luzhnyi left for AC Milan & Arsenal respectively in 1999, Rebrov left for Tottenham Hotspur in 2000 and Georgian defender Kakha Kaladze followed Sheva to Milan in 2001.
Unremarkable yet Unbeaten
At the turn of the millennium as the Champions League expanded to include runner-up and certain 3rd and 4th placed teams, below Europe’s Big Five, a batch of leagues were jockeying to remain competitive in an ever-more difficult environment. One such league was Greece, Olympiacos made an impressive run to the 1998/99 Champions League quarter finals topping their group in the process. Whilst their fierce rivals Panathinaikos matched this achievement in 2001/02 before falling narrowly to FC Barcelona.
In fact, good performances in Europe by both aforementioned Athenian giants briefly allowed the Greek Super League 3 clubs in the Champions League from the 2003/04 campaign. Up until 2002/03, AEK Athens’ record in European competition had been mostly unremarkable, the one exception being a run to the 1976/77 UEFA Cup semi-finals. A run which included victories over English opposition Derby County and Queens Park Rangers. Not much was expected of Yellow-Blacks upon reaching the 2002/03 Champions League group stages when dropped into a group containing AS Roma, defending champions Real Madrid and KRC Genk.
The Athenians’ group stage opened with goalless draws away at Genk and at home to Roma, however, their campaign suddenly came to life in a Matchday 3 & 4 double-header against Real Madrid. The first game in the Greek capital saw AEK in dreamland after 28 minutes, leading 3-1 against the then-defending European champions, Los Blancos eventually showing their class to pull the score back to 3-3. However, the record European champions would themselves suffer a comeback on Matchday 4 as Kostas Katsouranis & Walter Centeno goals cancelled out Steve McManaman’s double for Real in an eventual 2-2 draw. Comebacks stayed on the menu for AEK in their final 2 group games, goals from Vasilios Lakis & Centeno again, sealing 1-1 draws versus Genk and Roma respectively.
To this day, AEK are the only side in Champions League history to draw all 6 group stage games, their 3rd place finish dropped them into the UEFA Cup, achieving a unique feat of exiting the Champions League yet remaining unbeaten. A similar situation to the New Zealand national team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup who were eliminated despite drawing 3 group games against Paraguay, Slovakia and Italy. AEK found a winning touch in their UEFA Cup 3rd round tie vs Maccabi Haifa winning 8-1 on aggregate before losing 1-0 on aggregate to Malaga in Round 4.
Another unique Champions League era record from this group include just 4 losses amongst all teams, a record jointly-shared with the second group stage Barcelona, Liverpool, Roma & Galatasaray from 2001/02. Additionally, from an individual team perspective, Roma progressed in 2nd place from this particular group with the lowest number of goals scored for a group runner-up (just 3 from their 6 games). Clearly ones for neat group stage symmetry, AEK Athens also finished 3rd in their 2006/07 Champions League group with 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 defeats from their 6 games.
Soaring Eagles fuelled by English prey
SL Benfica come into the 2023/24 Champions League group stage on a strong high after topping a group containing Juventus and Paris St Germain en-route to the Quarter Finals in 2022/23. With a top class academy in addition to a player scouting network unearthing future gems, Benfica have firmly re-established themselves as a force once again domestically and in Europe. Two seasons proved crucial in The Eagles soaring once more, halting an at-the-time decade-long slump in the process.
The first such season being in 2004/05, O Glorioso’s fierce rivals FC Porto achieved a remarkable treble in 2003/04 under Jose Mourinho, the late 1990s & early 2000’s in Portuguese football belonging to Porto, Sporting CP and even upstarts Boavista FC. Veteran Italian coaching legend Giovanni Trappatoni, masterminded Benfica’s first Portuguese title since 1993/94, taking advantage of Porto’s player exodus in addition to Mourinho’s departure after their surprise Champions League triumph. Domestic foundations laid, it was up to Trappatoni’s coaching successor Ronald Koeman to give Benfica a spark once more continentally in 2005/06.
With a record low 12 goals scored amongst all four teams, to describe Group D of the 2005/06 Champions League as cautious would be an understatement. Late goals a theme of Benfica’s opening 2 group games, a 92nd minute header from Fabrizio Miccoli sealed a 1-0 home win vs Lille, an 85th minute winner by Ruud van Nistelrooy sealing a 2-1 away loss to Manchester United. Manuel Fernandes’ long-range screamer salvaged a 1-1 draw against Villarreal from Matchday 3, the Yellow Submarine got their revenge on Matchday 4, however with a 1-0 win in Lisbon. Matchday 5 provided the calm of a 0-0 away draw with Lille, Matchday 6, however, proved a storm, goals from Geovanni and Beto helped Benfica secure a comeback 2-1 win at the Estadio da Luz against Manchester United, eliminating the Red Devils.
Yet, O Glorioso were not done there, defending champions Liverpool were in their sights in the Round of Sixteen, an 84th minute header by defender Luisao gave Benfica a home 1st leg 1-0 advantage before the 2nd leg. Many away teams freeze at Anfield, not this Benfica, a thunderbolt from distance by Simao in the 1st half followed by a scissor kick finish by Miccoli in the 2nd half sent Benfica through 3-0 on aggregate to the Quarter Finals. There the run ended with a 2-0 aggregate loss to eventual winners FC Barcelona, nonetheless, 2005/06 re-established Benfica in Europe after over a decade in the doldrums. The Eagles soared once again with famous English prey in the shape of Manchester United and Liverpool on the menu.
Bhoys breakthrough despite an old hoodoo
Celtic FC’s history with the European Cup/Champions League is forever entrenched as a result of The Bhoys becoming the first Northern European club to win the trophy with a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan in the 1967 European Cup Final. Achieved with the legendary Lisbon Lions team, the triumph came at the height of Celtic domestic dominance, with 9 consecutive Scottish titles won between 1965 and 1974. Their 1967 European Cup triumph was far from a one-off, given Celtic also reached the 1970 European Cup final in addition to two European Cup semi-finals in 1972 and 1974.
As European Cup rebranded to Champions League, Celtic’s first group stage participation only came in 2001/02, the 1990’s being a dark era for The Bhoys as fierce rivals Rangers achieved their own “nine league titles in a row” between 1988 and 1997. Pundits characterised Celtic’s early Champions League group campaigns with five famous words “great at home, poor away”. In three such group stages between 2001/02 and 2004/05, Celtic achieved 6 victories, 2 draws and just a solitary defeat at home, contrasted with just one draw, eight defeats and zero victories away from Parkhead.
Pitched into a group with Manchester United, FC Copenhagen and Benfica, Celtic came away pointless yet with pride from a battling 3-2 away defeat on Matchday 1 against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Inspired from a battling display, The Bhoys racked up three brilliant wins at Parkhead either side of a disappointing 3-0 away loss to Benfica on Matchday 4 to make the Champions League knockout rounds for the first time. Without question, the highlight of Celtic’s Champions League group stage was the emergence of Japanese winger Shinsuke Nakamura. After a fine free kick against Manchester United on Matchday 1, Nakamura produced an even-greater dead-ball effort at Parkhead in a 1-0 victory over Manchester United on Matchday 5 to secure qualification.
Despite breaking new ground in the Champions League era, Celtic were unable to cure their away day Achilles heel in the group, 3 wins at home being matched with 3 losses away in their 6 group games. The 3-1 away loss at Copenhagen on Matchday 6 being the most painful against the weakest team in the group. In addition, victory away in Copenhagen would have secured top spot in the group and with it a more favourable Round of Sixteen tie against Lille. Instead, Celtic’s runner-up spot gave them a Round of Sixteen tie against eventual competition winners AC Milan, who prevailed 1-0 after extra time on aggregate courtesy of a Kaka goal.
Cypriot Charm & Noteworthy Nicosia Nights
For many years post-Champions League rebranding in 1992, Cyprus had a modest and unremarkable history with the UEFA Champions League, however, all soon changed, with the performances of Anorthosis Famagusta in the 2008/09 season. Surprising wins over Rapid Vienna & Olympiacos in qualification confirmed Anorthosis as the first Cypriot club in the group stages of European competition. Panathinaikos, Inter Milan & Werder Bremen represented tough group opposition, however, Anorthosis procured an impressive 6 points courtesy of 1 win and 3 draws from their 6 games. Despite finishing bottom, Anorthosis finished the group unbeaten at home, a campaign which included memorable 3-3 and 2-2 home draws with both Inter and Werder.
In 2009/10, APOEL FC continued Cyprus’ newfound feel good factor, shock qualification victories against Partizan Belgrade and FC Copenhagen secured Cypriot Champions League group stage representation for a 2nd straight season. UEFA handed APOEL an even tougher debut group stage draw assignment than Anorthosis in the shape of opponents Chelsea, FC Porto and Atletico Madrid. Despite securing only 3 points from their 6 group games, Thrylos didn’t disgrace themselves, conceding only 7 goals in 6 games with their 3 group losses coming by just a solitary goal. In addition, Atletico narrowly pipped them to 3rd place and Europa League football post-Christmas only on away goals after both finished on 3 points.
Qualification victories over Slovan Bratislava and Wisla Krakow secured APOEL a 2nd Champions League group participation in 2011/12. Porto, Zenit St Petersburg and Shakhtar Donetsk appeared weaker opponents on paper for the Cypriots, nonetheless, these clubs all emerged victorious in 3 of the the past 4 Europa League finals. Predicted to be tight pre-Matchday 1, the group matched these expectations, with no side scoring more than 7 goals or procuring more than 9 points from their 6 games. APOEL topping the group, however, fell into unpredicted territory, three shock away draws, a comeback 2-1 home win against Zenit and a 90th minute Gustavo Manduca winner in a 2-1 home victory against Porto highlighting the Cypriot side’s character.
Despite Zenit tying APOEL’s 9 points in the group, the Cypriot outfit’s 2-1 home win and 0-0 away draw in St Petersburg sealed top spot on head-to-head results, landing them a Round of Sixteen tie against Olympique Lyonnais. Les Gones were at this point being surpassed as France’s dominant force by newly-rich Paris St Germain, nonetheless, had reached a Champions League semi-final as recently as 2009/10. APOEL as underdogs came away from the away 1st leg with only a narrow 1-0 loss, a deficit swiftly cancelled out by the aforementioned Manduca after just 9 minutes of the 2nd leg in Nicosia. APOEL’s character saw them stun Europe again, prevailing 4-3 on penalties against the French outfit, Greek goalkeeper Dionysis Chiotis proving the hero by saving Alexandre Lacazette & Michel Bastos’ spot kicks down low to his left.
Despite a Quarter Final 8-2 aggregate defeat to Real Madrid, APOEL had more than climbed their Everest, achieving still to this date the best performance by a Cypriot side in European club competition. Cyprus’ ascension as a European Union member in 2004 made overseas recruitment easier for Cypriot clubs, in turn increasing standards in the top tier Cypriot First Division. Indeed, right winger Constantinos Charalambides was the only Cypriot national in APOEL’s starting eleven for their famous penalty win over Lyon. Other famous overseas names in the side alongside the aforementioned Manduca included Esteban Solari, younger brother of ex-Real Madrid winger Santiago and ex-Chelsea central midfielder Nuno Morais, still APOEL’s record appearance holder with 462 appearances in all competitions between 2007 & 2019.
So Near, yet So Far
By the summer of 2018, Ajax Amsterdam’s Champions League campaigns from the late 1990’s onwards could have been described as “Two Lost Decades”. Winners in 1994/95, beaten finalists in 1995/96 and semi-finalists in 1996/97, Godenzoden’s Champions League success a last flicker of romance before football changed forever. With the Champions League non-Champions expansion in 1997/98 in addition to the Bosman ruling and end of the 3 foreigner rule, Ajax’s status as an elite European club was damaged more than most.
Erik ten Hag’s first full season at the managerial reigns of the Amsterdam outfit in time for the 2018/19 Champions League group stages saw Ajax’s fortunes take a remarkable upturn, the good days of the mid-1990’s returning to Amsterdam. UEFA’s powerbrokers handed Ajax and ten Hag a tough assignment, pairing them up in a group with Bayern Munich, Benfica and AEK Athens. A tough assignment on ten Hag’s European debut with Ajax, as Godenzoden had already been eliminated from European competition for 2017/18 when ten Hag replaced Marcel Keizer mid-season.
A double from Nicolas Tagliafico and a solitary strike from Donny van de Beek got Ajax off the mark with a 3-0 win over AEK on Matchday 1, an appetizer before the main course of Bayern Munich away on Matchday 2. An assignment ten Hag’s team passed, fullback Noussair Mazraoui’s 22nd minute goal cancelled out Mats Hummels’ 4th minute opener to earn Ajax an impressive 1-1 draw. Ajax then followed the “win at home, draw away” formula in Europe, defeating Benfica 1-0 at home before Dusan Tadic’s equaliser sealed a 1-1 away draw against the same opponents on Matchday 4. Dusan Tadic’s double in a 2-0 away win over AEK on Matchday 5 was backed up by a 3-3 draw away against Bayern on Matchday 6 to secure both Round of Sixteen qualification in addition to an unbeaten group stage for Ajax.
After a 2-1 home defeat by Real Madrid in the 1st leg of their Round of Sixteen clash with the defending champions, few gave ten Haag’s team hope ahead of the 2nd leg. Yet, in one of the greatest European shocks, Ajax triumphed 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu thanks to goals from Hakim Ziyech, David Neres, Tadic and Lasse Schone, turning the tie around to win 5-3 on aggregate. Juventus awaited in the Quarter Finals, home comforts again not there for Ajax, as Juventus took a 1-1 draw and an away goal back to Turin for the 2nd leg. Cristiano Ronaldo struck early in the return leg for Juve, yet goals from van der Beek & central defender Matthijs de Ligt secured a 3-2 Ajax aggregate win and revenge for the 1996 Champions League final defeat.
Ajax’s semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur had the opposite arrangement of fixtures to the previous two rounds, with Godenzoden having the second leg at home. Ajax returned to Amsterdam with a 1-0 victory courtesy of a Donny van der Beek goal and when de Ligt headed Ajax into a 2-0 aggregate lead early in the 2nd leg at Johan Cruyff Arena, a 1st final in 23 years looked on the cards. However, an inspired Lucas Moura hit a second half hat-trick, including a now-famous 96th minute winner to level the tie at 3-3 and send Tottenham through to the final on the away goals rule.
Heartbreak for Ajax, thoughts around whether they could have stopped Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, who easily triumphed over Spurs 2-0 in a one-sided final put permanently into the “fascinating questions never possible to answer” category. With no sides outside Europe’s Big Five leagues triumphing in the Champions League since Porto’s 2003/04 victory, the 2018/19 Ajax vintage came closer than any side since. Football’s current trajectory with ever-increasing finances solely flowing into a smaller batch of leagues & clubs may permanently prevent another Porto Champions League underdog story. Four years on, key personnel like van der Beek, Ziyech, de Ligt, Andre Onana and Frenkie de Jong, in addition to ten Hag have all moved on with Ajax regressing to another transition period. So near, yet so far in so many ways.